No costumes for my kid

Being that my sister's family is so into Halloween costumes, I usually find myself thinking of what to dress up as quite a long time before October rolls around.  The other day, we tried to get Gavin to try on a costume and he just wasn't having it.  We got out pictures of other people wearing the costume, we tried bribing with candy, but with no luck.  You'd think we were breaking the kid's arm, the way he was screaming.  I've been asking him for a few weeks now if he wanted to be Buddy, the Dinosaur (from Dinosaur Train) or if he wanted to be a dragon, or a variety of other random things.  Every time I ask, he says, 'No, I'm Gavin'.  I even asked, 'Do you want to be a Gavin Dinosaur?' and he still yells no. 

So I've been trying to brainstorm simple dress-up ideas that he might like.  I really think he could be okay with being a train conductor, since he's so obsessed with trains.  However, he refuses to try the hat on.  And yes, I know it's only Sept 24th and we still have a month to find something, but I'm afraid that we might not have a costumed kid this year.  Most parents would be happy about this, but I'm sad we don't get to use one of the amazing costumes my bro-in-law has made. Any suggestions?  I'm getting kinda bummed out.

Two Feet

Hooray for Summer!

We got Lagoon passes again this year and it's already been a blast. I absolutely love this cute little messy face! 

We took two nieces and a nephew with us to Lagoon a Beach and then met up with my sister's family for more rides.  As many times we've been to this place, we still manage to have so much fun.

 

Hello out there...

Time for a blog post:

I haven't been taking very many pictures lately.  We've been busy with yardwork and playing with family and friends but sadly, no pics.  Oh well. Maybe this weekend we'll take a few snapshots.

Just wanted to check in and say that I am so happy to be a mom.  I'm happy to be a woman and happy to be surrounded by so much creativity and goodness.  I'm in a good place today and wanted to record it for those days that aren't so good.

Hope you're in a good place, too!

Just a quick one

Just a quick post to say how nice it is to have friends.  They make me smile.  Friends who live close, friends who live far away.  Friends who just happen to be family, too.  Such a good thing to have friends!

Thank you to my friends!

One day at a time

Recently, I came across a blog that made me really sad. It was a mother's blog and I happened upon a recent post of her 8-week old baby that had contracted RSV along with a few other ailments and passed away at Primary Children's. First, let me clarify, I'm not a blog-stalker. She was a friend of a friend, which makes it a little better. Anyway, I spent a considerable amount of time reading her daily updates and when it came to the very end, I could really feel the change that was taking place in their family. It was a beautiful record, eloquent and sacred. It was amazing how the spirit came over me while I was reading her account. It made me want to grab my baby and never let him go.

Aside from the obvious thought that I would never be able to handle something like that without some serious medication, it really made me start to ponder my life.

As a parent, I think I have become a little crazy about worrying what could happen. There are so many people going through so many heartbreaking things with their children right now, and here I am, with my perfect little munchkin, taking advantage of the moments we have together. I feel so ungrateful for all my blessings. For my family who lives so close and are so willing to take care of us at any time. For my friends and neighbors who help keep me grounded and provide much-needed therapy. For my wonderful husband who I often forget is only human. But especially for a wonderful Father in Heaven who has blessed me with so much. If I let myself imagine how bad things could be for us, it just depresses me and I get all anxious and upset. I really need to do a better job of just being happy with how good things are for us. Just relax and take one day at a time...

Secrets of Seasonal Sales

(Borrowed from one of my favorite websites 'Pinchingyourpennies.com')


"As a coupon'er/bargain shopper over 13 years, I've discovered (and you may have, too) that coupons and sales run in seasonal cycles. Here's a comprehensive guide to cracking the what and when is on sale. It may be a repeat for some, but I believe it is worth repeating. Hope it helps!

Seasonal Sales Cycles

JANUARY - Historically, Quaker has hot deals on cereal/all items. We see Pepsi/Tostitos go on sale mid-January (again, rebates abound for these). Other items of note this time of year are chili, side dishes, anything for hearty/warm meals.
• Post-Holiday Sales
• White Sales
• Sports and Weight Loss Equipment
• Computers
• Winter Apparel and Accessories
· Organizers, Rubbermaid totes, shelf organizers, planners, filing cabinets

FEBRUARY – many of the same food items as January
• Electronics
• Floor Coverings
• Housewares
• Furniture
• Candy and Chocolates

MARCH - Frozen food month. You'll find many stores are offering free freezers or fill-a-bag deals. Between March and April, look for spring cleaning deals, so many cleaner items will be on sale. With Easter, looks for eggs, ham, Kraft products to cycle into good sales. Paper products like towels, napkins, plates are starting to come on strong. Beverage items.
• Spring Apparel and Accessories
• Winter Sports Equipment
• Gardening Supplies
• Luggage

APRIL –
• Spring Apparel and Accessories
• Coats and Hats
• Paint
• Wallpaper
• Jewish Foods and Eggs

MAY -
get ready for summer! Here come loads of deals on BBQ sauce, frozen veggies, baked beans, and condiments of all kinds, summer-time meats (ribs, hotdogs, and ground beef). Also with all the holidays, look for tons of paper goods that match the holiday and pick them up after clearance. These deals generally continue through September!
• White Sale - Linens and Towels
• Spring Cleaning Supplies
• Auto Maintenance
• Home Maintenance
• Sodas & Bottled Water, Hotdogs, Hamburger Meat, Condiments, Paper & Plastic plates & cups
* Raid/Off bug repellents and sunscreens

JUNE –
• Summer Apparel and Accessories
• Pianos
• Television Sets
• Building Materials and Hardware
• Dairy Products

JULY –
• Air Conditioners
• Summer Sports Equipment
• Sportswear
• Craft Supplies
• Sodas, Hotdogs, Hamburger Meat, Condiments

AUGUST –
• White Sale - Linen and Towels
• BBQ and Patio Equipment
• Back to School Supplies
• Bathing Suits
• Fresh Fish and Vegetables
• Breakfast foods (Cold cereal-Juice-Waffles-etc)
• Cold lunch items for in lunch boxes

SEPTEMBER - back to school; time to fill up on snacks! Pudding cups, Capri suns, fruit snacks, cereal sales start up hard again, peanut butter/jelly. Also, like clockwork, there will be Prego coupons in August, and plan on getting lots and using them in a hurry before they expire in September when the spaghetti sauce goes on sale. Sauce wars between Ragu and Prego this month. Campbell’s soups will go on as well and there will be coupons in the end of August for these as well. Lunchables are on sale this time of year, too.
• Back to School Supplies and Apparel
• Gardening Supplies
• Housewares
• Bicycles
• Canned Goods

OCTOBER - Stock up on holiday foods – Stove Top, turkey, instant mashed potatoes, broth, cranberries, marshmallow, ice cream, pie shells, whipped cream, pudding. Look for great Kraft deals again this time of year. Piggyback those Kraft coupons when you can. Crackers are a biggie - going on for $1 or less a box. Lots of extra deals like $ off cheese WYB crackers. The real kicker is the after Christmas food deals! Save your coupons because pie fixings, fried onion, broth and canned green beans will be on deep discount. I got those onions for .50 a can, normally almost $4. These generally continue through December.
• Cars
• Houses
• Fishing Equipment
• Crystal, Silver, and Glassware
• Candy
· Baking/candy-making items (choc chips, sprinkles, vanilla, corn syrup, nuts, etc)

NOVEMBER -
• Winter Apparel and Accessories
• Quilts and Blankets
• Heating Devices
• Turkey, Sweet Potatoes
• Canned goods (soup, chicken broth, condensed milk, veggies etc)
• Baking goods

DECEMBER –
• Toys
• Gift Items
• Party ware
• Post-Holiday Sales
• Party Foods, Baking Goods, and Various Meat
• Canned goods (broth, soups, etc)

Year-round after a holiday, you can always pick up cheap cookie dough and any food related to a holiday.

Continual sales are candy, popcorn, chips, anything snacky, cereal (heavier in the fall/winter, but still around in the spring).
Frozen food sales seem to centralize on a brand and the switch brands the next month. I think the manufacturers buy slot time for sales. So last month, Stouffers was on sale hard, now lean cuisine is. Save the entire frozen coupon and then keep checking back for the brand of the month.

Frozen pizzas go on sale in the fall and then again the spring; not often in the summer because people don't want to turn their ovens on in the summer.

By all means, this isn't everything that you can get on sale, but if you follow the cycle and stock up (I never buy BBQ sauce in the winter), then you can get where you have enough on hand and only need to refill when the items are in season. The result is that you spend less and less with each successful cycle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~

Sources: Various numerous sites on the internet over years of time from an obsessive compulsive cpn-er"

Thought everyone could use these helpful hints.

2 Years Already?!

Gavin turned 2 in December. What an event. I tell ya, having a kid with a December birthday sucks! Wish we could celebrate a half birthday or something. Needless to say, he got spoiled by both sides of the family. I guess it's easy to buy for a 2 year old who tells you every day how much he likes cars, trucks, trains, airplanes, buses, and anything else that can be hooked together and made to move. He even takes his foam blocks and turns them in a way so that the half circle connected with the triangle looks like a boat. He's such a creative boy.



Here are some pics from the Carroll family party. I'm still figuring out how to use Garrett's nice camera, so the pictures are pretty dark.

My awesome friend Alicia made his cake. I found instructions on a cool blog and sent them to her. It was devils food cake with homemade frosting. She did an amazing job and it made me look like super mom. Thanks Alicia!


Gavin was too excited to eat dinner or cake the evening of his birthday, so the next morning, when he asked for cake, I let him eat it for breakfast. Reminded me of that Bill Cosby skit - Dad is great, give us some chocolate cake!


We had an Oler party the night before and combined the party with Tatum, who was turning 6 on Dec 23rd. She and Gavin are becoming good friends so it was fun to have their party together. Gavin loved learning the concept of getting presents. I think it helped prepare him for Christmas. By the end of December, he was a pro at opening gifts.

Family Photos

Just some pics we had taken for our Christmas card. It was cold and the sun was very bright and Garrett and Gavin were not cooperating. I swear, Garrett wanted to push me in the waterfall. We still managed to get some nice pics though. Thank you to Chris for the photo shoot!

Oh, and yes, that's Gavin sitting in time-out because he kept trying to run across the street.

Halloween 2009

So, I'm a terrible blogger, I know. I'm going to try to be better.

Here are some pictures from Halloween. Garrett was Jasper but I don't have any pictures of him. Seems kinda creepy that we were the villains and Gavin was such a cute, helpless little dalmation.
I think someone even commented that he shouldn't go home with his parents.

Thanks for the awesome costumes, Mr. McBride!

Love a good deal!

Today, I bought a pair of $70 knee-high black dressy boots for $3.02!!!

Yes, you read that right. I'm so very proud of myself and hope to post a picture of them soon. I've been planning to purchase a pair of dressier boots this season and, being the coupon-clipper that I am, I finally figured out a way that I could afford them.

Here's how I did it: The boots were on sale at Kohl's for $41.00 (which was a pretty dang good deal anyway) and then I had a 15% off coupon good for this weekend. Then, I had a $10 off coupon that my wonderful mother so lovingly gave to me. Then, I had a merchandise voucher from a gift that I had returned earlier this summer. So, yes, I ended up paying $3.02 for a pair of very stylish, very comfortable boots.

I love Kohl's and I love a good deal!

Oregon/ Washington Road Trip

Here are a few pics from our trip to Depot Bay earlier this month. What a blast! More details to follow...

Easter Saturday

Easter weekend is one of my favorites. Since way before I was born, my mom's family has gathered together for a weekend of camping, four-wheeling, and Easter festivities. I remember how cool we thought we were when our parents let us drive the 4-wheelers without supervision. I could seriously go on forever about the fun we had. It used to be a much larger event but these days, we usually just get together for a few hours on the Saturday before Easter. This year, we got rained out the first Saturday. We still had fun around the campfire so we decided to come back the next weekend.




Here are some cute pics for your viewing pleasure. Gavin had his cousin Andrew helping him on the Easter egg hunt, and as you can see, they hit the jackpot! It worked well because we didn't want the candy so we gave it to Andrew and Gavin really only cared about the colorful plastic eggs anyway.

Gavin's New Ride

It's been a while since I posted anything so I thought I'd post a few cute pics of Gavin's cute little car we were handed down from a good friend.

He was scared to ride at first. You can see his sad face.

This is about a month later and he's still scared to push the button. However, every day when we come home, he points to the little car, makes his cute little car noise and tries to climb in. He always wants to ride but he never stays on very long. He's still learning to steer so most of the time, he ends up on the grass or in the gravel.

Kiss Me, I'm Irish

One of the best things about genealogy is finding out where you came from. Even though our Irish ancestry is a few people back on my fathers side, we still like to play it up. I tried to take a few pics of Gavin with his 'pimp' glasses but he wouldn't stand still. This is the best I got before I had to go to work.

Annual Sledding Party

We've been going to Mutual Dell every year for the past few years. It's a blast to hang with my family (cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles) and have yummy food at the cabin. Here are a few pics for your viewing pleasure.

Funny Hat

I stole this picture from my niece. My bro-in-law has this awesome hat and he let Gavin wear it for a while. I'm a fan. I'm biased, but I think he looks pretty dang cute!

Craftastrophe's

I got this link from my cousin. I thought it was some seriously funny stuff. Check it out when you have a second. You may just find something you're interested in...

http://craftastrophe.net

4 really good years

We recently celebrated our 4th anniversary by going on a date (yes, a date!). We went to dinner and a movie with our good friends, Dan & Julie. The movie: Taken. Fantastic to say the least. We're still talking about it. The dinner: Spaghetti Mama's. Still good, even under new ownership. A little more expensive these days so maybe I'll have to start making my own butter and mazithra spaghetti. Yum!
I love my hubby! He is so good with our son and so good to me. I couldn't ask for any more than that! The past 4 years have really been a blast!

Gavin's first piece of gum

So, the other day, I'm in the bathroom doing my hair, getting ready for work. Gavin is doing his best to empty out the drawers of all their contents - nothing out of the ordinary. Then, I hear him cough a little and I look over to find him, eyes watering, mouth foaming, trying to chew the piece of gum he had finagled out of its plastic packaging. Pretty funny. I felt a little bad as I wiped his now blood-shot eyes. What a kid.
Sad to say, I was in too much of a hurry to grab the camera and take a picture.